I am seeing some flaming war going on here.
I do think
Infanteer, r3alist, rajiv, toxic_pus, gambit, & pmukherji, all have summarized neatly the situation in their earlier posts.
Let me add my two cents.
The aircraft was supposed to carry a military call sign, according to rules, which it has failed to comply.
The pertinent point which is emerging from this incident is that, this (flight) practice was going on unhindered for some time, and the americans (or whomsoever aircraft) was getting used to this unhindered free-ride, while flouting relevant rules. This was partly due to the carelessness of Indian authorities sofar, and partly i suspect due to some leftover servile attitude to white skinned sahibs. I am not indicating any institutional disease here, but the Delhi/Superior bosses or the air-command may not be heeding the complaints from the air-traffic monitoring staff and be looking the other way for some time, US being an ally & et all.
But ALLY or NOT ALLY, everybody has to comply with international rules, and it is good that the authorities have woken up and have put their foot down, and started enforcing it, especially in the aftermath of Mumbai terror incident.
Having said this, I also agree with
"rajiv" that the procedures could be simplified and rules formulated, to remove any un-necessary redtape & hurdles to the americans flightplan, after ensuring that our air-security & strategic objectives are not compromised in any way. After all Indian government is going fullsteam in the path of a strategic alliance & partnership with US. Thank God that the Indian voters have thrown out the leftists/communists from a significant powerful & influential position (disproportionate than their numbers), holding the ManMohanSingh govt to ransom, especially to anything related to improving relations with US . An ally is surely not for creating hurdles & bad-publicity all the way, impacting on the speed and effectiveness of a friendly force, when it is most needed along with utmost stealth & secrecy, are they?
The local media has also played its part in hyping this issue.
Now coming to S-2's comments:- @S-2
I find it both surprising and amusing, that you have taken the trouble to chastise some show of bravado & patriotic-fervor! from some of the Indian peers here.
Surprising because from your many posts, i have judged u to be a mature & rational poster, and not much affected by the disease of vanity.
May be I am wrong about the later part!
If you take up cudgels against such show of bravado, in these very forums, then you will never be in a position to put down your pen sir, and u still will have a long backlog MILES long! I have seen the original post (infact a one-liner) from "Renegade" (#35) was a relatively harmless one, which should have merited atmost a refrain or blind-eye.
Instead your machine guns have gone full BLAST. Sir you are definitely guilty of DISPROPORTIONATE use of force THIS TIME. And I think you got carried away by vanity, and childish petulance, which you so accused him of, when u people where nitpicking lines to & fro.
"...we saw a similar barrage of needless bravado and counter allegations. Totally pointless."
Bravado, yes. Needless countering to support the TRUTH? No. Never.
Any soul here- Pakistani, Indian, American or anybody else should take on the responsibility to defend the TRUTH from twisted dissemblance.
OK. Yes. A good and Noble thought.
.
S-2 said:
I've done so and would do so on behalf of anything as blatantly perverted as what I've illustrated above..
I won't accommodate B.S. nor nonsense that's mean-spirited and intended to promote self-esteem at the expense of the facts.
Blatantly perverted?! What, irked by Renegade's braggish comment on force landing US plane on India-Soil, when rules are not followed?
Blatantly perverted!!! So much so for facts & perspective!.
And in every such instance you react SO unfailingly? OH NO........
To put it mildly, your above statement reeks of hypocrisy, which I find surprising coming from you!
Hey This forum is awash with such posts most of the times, even with some effort from the moderators. And of much higher grade than that from "Renegade"'s post. Only difference is that in those cases it was mostly from the members of host nation. So come down from your high horse.
Won't a more accurate depicition would be:
"I wont accommodate B.S & nonsense ..... ...., based on my current mood & how much they succeed in irritating me on a given day!"
regards
& sorry for being harsh towards the end of my post. Could'nt feel like leaving you unscathed